The drive to the party was a crash course in their respective histories.
“My mother’s name is Eda,” Donovan said.
“Eda,” Sarah repeated dutifully.
She felt as if she was cramming for a test as she tried to squeeze as much Donovan information as she could into the short drive to the party.
“Eda,” he said again. “Her folks were second generation German immigrants. My father’s name is Mike. Anyway, Mom and Dad live in Orlando now. No brothers. No sisters. Some aunts, uncles and cousins, but none I’m close to. My grandmother lived with us after my grandfather died. She watched me a lot because my parents both worked. Not just worked, had careers.”
Sarah thought she heard a lance of pain in that statement, but Donovan kept speaking, and she didn’t have time to really analyze it.
“I grew up in Erie,” he continued. “Went to Prep, then to Mercyhurst College, and finally to law school in Pittsburgh. Wagner, McDuffy and Chambers hired me right out of school. No significant relationships. Oh, and I live in the Bayfront Condos.”
“Can I ask a question? Why Wagner, McDuffy and Chambers? I mean, given your reputation...” She paused.
“Go ahead.”
“It’s just that, it seems out of character to choose such a family oriented firm. A place that insists you’re married before you can be a partner.”
Donovan was silent. She’d asked the question before and hadn’t gotten an answer. His silence indicated she probably wasn’t getting one this time, either. She couldn’t tell if he was angry or thinking, but either way, she realized it wasn’t any of her business where Donovan chose to work. That didn’t stop her from wondering about his choice.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said when the silence weighed too heavily on her. “I didn’t mean to overstep myself. You don’t have to answer. It doesn’t have any bearing on us. Let’s just finish this.”
Sarah started rattling off facts, “My dad’s name is Kevin. My mom’s name is Jane. I’m named after her. Sarah Jane. Hey, that reminds me, what’s your full name?”
They were driving down Lakeshore Drive, one of the most beautiful sections of Erie, in Sarah’s opinion. The streets were tree-lined, and the homes with palatial elegance overlooked the bay. She sighed as she watched out her window. It was easier to concentrate on the street’s beauty than worry about what she and Donovan were about to try to pull off.
“My full name?” he asked. “You’d never be permitted to use it, so it’s not an issue.”
“But I should know it,” she pressed, more because it seemed to make him uncomfortable, than because she thought she needed to know the information. She doubted it would come up in conversation.
“It can’t be that bad,” she added. “And I’ll probably keep pestering you until you tell me, so you might as well tell me now and save yourself all the hassle. Why I could go on, and on, and on—”
He cut her off. “It’s Elias. Elias Augustus Donovan.”
“Wow,” she said, trying to suppress a giggle. “Elias Augustus Donovan. That’s a mouthful.”
“You’re not laughing at my name, are you?” he asked, a dangerous tone in his voice.
“Elias Augustus? No, no of course I’m not.” The small giggle that escaped may have given her away.
Yep. It had.
Donovan turned and glared at her, and rather than being intimidated, Sarah laughed harder.
“Elias,” she started, using his first name for the first time.
The only description for his response was a growl.
“Donovan,” she corrected herself, holding back more laughter, but unable to keep from smiling. “I meant to say Donovan, though I like Elias. You sound, I don’t know, more approachable as an Elias.”
“I don’t want to be approachable, so it’s Donovan. Now, finish up on your family stuff. We’re almost there.”
“Like I said, my dad’s name is Kevin. He just retired last year, and my parents are on a six-month biking tour of Europe.”
“Biking?” he asked.
“They’re health nuts—what can I say? What else? We’re from Meadville, but Dad’s company transferred him my freshman year of college to Erie. I worked for a decorator in Pittsburgh right out of school. My aunt left me a small trust that I gained access to when I was twenty-five, and I’d saved everything I could while working. I knew I wanted to work for myself. So when the opportunity presented itself I took it. I moved here to be close to Mom and Dad, but Dad took an early retirement and they’ve been traveling since. Starting By Design took all the money I had, which is why I’m in such dire straits now.”
“Couldn’t your parents help you out?”
“They could,” she admitted. “But I wouldn’t ask. By Design is mine. I want to do it on my own.”
Thank heaven her parents had sold the house when her father retired. They planned to buy something smaller when they returned from Europe. By then, Sarah would have her own place and they’d never know she was living out of her office.
She didn’t even want to think of their reaction. They’d be livid, thinking of her reduced state. They’d insist on helping her out, and they wouldn’t understand that Sarah wanted—and needed—to do this on her own.
And of course, if they found out about her fake engagement...
Sarah was saved from thoughts of her parents’ ire as Donovan pulled into a driveway and parked behind a line of cars.
Before he got out of the car, Donovan said, “We’re here, but there’s one big question left, how did we start dating?”
Sarah got out of the car as well and said, “You watched me in the park—that much is true. I caught your eye. Okay, so maybe we’re embellishing that a bit, but you asked me out to dinner, and next thing I knew, you found you couldn’t live without me and were proposing. That’s true, too, only our dinner was right before the proposal.”
“I’m not going to comment on the couldn’t live without you part. It’s good enough.” He led her up the stone walkway to the front door of the huge, brick colonial home.
“Favorite color?” she asked in a hushed tone as he knocked on the door.
“Black.”
“Black? That’s not a color. It can’t be your favorite.” Who liked black the best? She looked at the man next to her. He was dressed in a well-tailored black suit that added to his dark hair and complexion, giving him a dangerous look.
Yeah, that his favorite color was black made sense. It suited his look and his mood.
“What’s yours?” he asked.
“Yellow.” Her dress tonight was more gold than yellow, but she thought it looked sunny, yet elegant, and wondered if Donovan had even noticed that she’d bought something new to impress his friends—a dress she couldn’t afford.
Probably not.
“Yellow?” He snorted. “Figures.”
The front door opened and a silver-haired man stepped out to greet them. “Donovan. So it’s true. You finally found someone who could put up with you.” He extended his hand. “Leland, Leland Wagner, Miss... Donovan didn’t tell me your name, but you look very familiar.”
“I’m Sarah Madison, Mr. Wagner. I bought the small storefront next to the firm a few months ago. By Design? We’ve met, but only in passing.”
“Well, it will be good to actually get a chance to visit with you tonight. Now, come in and let me introduce you around.”
Sarah wasn’t sure what she expected, but it wasn’t Leland Wagner escorting them through his home and out onto the back patio area where a throng of people were milling around. He stood just outside the doorway, his arm looped through Sarah’s, sandwiching her between himself and Donovan.
“Can I have your attention everyone?” he practically shouted in order to be heard above the noise.
The talking died almost immediately as all the guests turned and looked expectantly at their host.
“I want to make a very important introduction. Some of you know Sarah Madison whose business, By Des
ign, is located next to the office. But there’s something about Sarah you might not be aware of. You see, I’d like to introduce her tonight not as a business neighbor of the firm, but as the future Mrs. Elias Donovan.”
And so the charade began, Sarah thought as she waited for the party’s reaction.
A pin dropping would have sounded like a bullet, the group’s response was so silent.
Sarah glanced at Donovan standing next to her wearing an unreadable expression and then back at the sea of strangers who were staring at them.
Suddenly, as if some dam had burst, the crowd all started clapping and Sarah found herself swallowed by a sea of people congratulating her.
“How’d you do it?” seemed to be the question of the evening.
The first time Sarah had asked, “How did I do what?” but only the first time.
She quickly realized the question truly was, How did you melt the Iceman?
She felt embarrassed as she launched into their true, but carefully worded, story.
The women oohed over her ring and the story that accompanied that
“So, is he taking you to Ireland for your honeymoon?” Hanni Ashford, Leland’s daughter, asked. Her two sisters, Liesl and Brigitta, nodded their heads, as if Sarah had already answered an affirmative.
‘‘Uh, we haven’t got far enough to plan a honeymoon yet,” Sarah said, knowing there wouldn’t be any honeymoon. Heck, there wasn’t even going to be a wedding. Not that she was telling the women that.
But she would keep reminding herself of the fact that this was all a sham.
“How about the wedding? What do you have planned for that? Tell us everything,” Brigitta demanded.
The three Wagner girls were all various shades of brunette. Hanni’s hair had reddish undertones, Liesl’s had blondish highlights, and Brigitta’s was a rich sable brown. They were all in their late thirties, maybe early forties, and they were all eager to welcome Sarah into the family.
“Actually we haven’t got as far as planning the wedding, either. This engagement is still rather new and we’re adjusting to that before we add the stress of planning a wedding and honeymoon.”
Liesl frowned, “You don’t have anything planned yet?”
“Not even a time of year you want to marry in?” Hanni asked. “I mean, I always wanted a July wedding. And that’s just what I got. Out on the beach at sunset. Come on, Sarah. Every little girl always dreams about her wedding.”
“Fall,” Sarah said, anxious to give them something, hoping it would be enough to satisfy them. “When the leaves are at the height of their color.”
“Fall? Why it’s already late August, September starts next week. It takes months to plan a wedding. How on earth are you going to plan one in just a few weeks?”
Darn. She should have said spring. Or even next summer. Yeah, next summer would have been better. “Well, maybe we’ll just wait until next year.”
There, that was a perfect solution. Set the wedding date over a year from now. No one would expect her to have any specifics then.
But Sarah had miscalculated. Liesl sighed and said, “Oh, no. You can’t make Donovan wait that long. Why anyone can see, just by looking at the two of you, how in love you are.”
Sarah decided at that very moment that she should have forgotten about interior decorating and gone into acting, because it took an Academy Award-winning performance to keep a straight face at that proclamation.
“I’m sure Donovan cares enough to be willing to wait while I plan my dream wedding. Outdoors, autumn colors for my attendants. The trees outshining anything any decorator could come up with...”
“Well, we won’t have it,” Brigitta said, cutting off Sarah’s musings. She looked across the room and waved her hand. “Dad? Could you come here?”
Leland Wagner walked over to the group. “I see you’ve met my girls,” he said with a genuine smile on his face.
Guilt stabbed at Sarah. Leland was a lovely man. So were his girls, though she doubted anyone else would dare call the trio girls.
Everyone she’d met was sweet. Warm and welcoming. And here she was lying to all of them. No matter that there was a real, short-term engagement. It didn’t do anything to assuage her guilt.
“Dad,” Brigitta said. “Sarah’s always dreamed of a fall wedding and is planning to wait until next year so she can get it. Anyone with eyes can see that waiting that long will kill her and Donovan. But it’s too hard to plan a wedding to expect her to get it all done in just a few months on her own, but—”
Hanni suddenly grinned and continued, “Yeah, but if she isn’t doing it on her own...”
Liesl piped up, “And had help and a place to host the wedding, somewhere with trees and a beautiful view.”
“Like here,” Brigitta said.
“Here? Why what a wonderful idea,” Leland said.
“Really, that’s so kind of all of you, but Donovan and I wouldn’t think of putting you out that way.”
“Nonsense,” Leland said. “Let me get...oh, there she is. Dorothy.”
His wife, a white-haired lady with a smile that hadn’t dimmed even once all evening, walked over. Her arm snuck around her husband’s waist. “Yes, dear?”
“The girls discovered that Sarah here always wanted an autumn wedding. But you know how hard it is to book a place with such short notice. She was going to wait until next year, but they suggested we do it here.”
“We’ll take care of everything, Mom,” Hanni promised.
If it was possible, Dorothy Wagner’s smile burned even brighter as she said, “Oh, no you won’t. I haven’t got to plan a wedding in a long time. Why, Brigitta, it’s been years since you and Marty were married.”
She stopped short and turned to Sarah. “Of course, we don’t want to step on your mother’s toes. Maybe I can call her—”
“My parents are biking in Europe. They won’t be home until mid-October.”
“Oh, that’s perfect,” Dorothy said. “She’ll be home just in time for the wedding. Oh, this is going to be fun.”
Another woman joined the group. “What will be fun?” she asked, then spotted Sarah in the group. “Sarah, I’m sure you’ve met so many people tonight you’ll never keep us all straight. I’m Lori. I’m another lawyer at the firm.”
“I’ve seen you going to and fro,” Sarah said. Amelia came over as well. “Hey, this looks like the group to be in. What’s up?”
“Sarah’s getting married,” Brigitta said.
What had happened to this conversation? Sarah felt as if she’d been swept out to sea without even a life-vest. “And I thank you all for wanting to help with the wedding, but—”
“But nothing,” Dorothy said. “It will be our pleasure. So what do you have in mind?”
“She wants an outdoor wedding, Mom,” Hanni said.
“When the foliage is at its height of color,” Liesl added.
“Of course, we’d need a tent in case it rains,” Dorothy mused aloud.
“Or snowed,” Brigitta said.
Everyone just stared at her.
“This is Erie after all,” she said with a shrug. “Snow in October isn’t unheard of, or even particularly unexpected.”
At that, the women all laughed, and the planning went on and on. What colors? How many bridesmaids? How big was her family? Donovan’s?
Dorothy knew a judge she was sure they could get to officiate.
Sarah kept trying to protest, but before she knew it she was in the thick of Wagners and associates, planning bridesmaids’ dresses and talking about invitations.
She scanned the room, praying Donovan would ride to her rescue.
~~~
Donovan couldn’t help but watch Sarah surrounded by his colleagues and their families. People were flocking to her. Mainly the women of the firm, but there was Leland, in the thick of things.
“You look nervous,” Larry Mackenzie, or Mac as he was usually called, said. “Worried about what they’re saying about you, mayb
e?”
“Saying about me? Why would they be saying anything about me?”
Mac laughed. “Come on, Donovan. You put a group of women that big together, and of course they’re saying things about you. About all the men here, probably. I mean, there’s Amelia. I’m sure she’s talking about all the men here. Probably I’m top of her hit list. She doesn’t like me much.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because last week, she said—” he raised his pitch and spoke in a fairly good imitation of Amelia “—'Larry Mackenzie, I don’t like you very much.’”
“What did you do?” Donovan asked.
“What did I do? Why would you assume I did anything? I never understood why Leland hired that woman. She’s talkative and—”
“Talkative is just another word for gregarious and friendly. That’s the kind of qualities you want in a receptionist.”
“Oh, there you go. It’s happened.” Mac sounded utterly dejected.
“What’s happened?” Donovan asked.
“You got engaged, and she’s turned your brain to mush. This can’t be the same Donovan who’s worked at Wagner, McDuffy and Chambers for the last six years. Why, you’re almost soft.”
“I’m not. It’s just that—”
“Don’t explain.’’ Mac tossed up his hands and shook his head. “Not one thing. I don’t want to be polluted by your altered mentality. As a matter of fact, don’t say another word. My heart can’t take too many more surprises tonight. First you—our own personal Lothario and my personal hero—turn up engaged, and now you’re defending Amelia. I’m going to get a drink. A big one.”
“Mac,” Donovan called, but the big man was already walking toward the bar.
Donovan stood against the corner and watched the group of women. They were laughing. Sarah, too. Anyone watching them all together would think they’d known each other forever, not just for a few hours. Sarah looked totally at home with the group.
He’d told her he’d seen her eating lunch in the park now and then. What he didn’t mention was watching for her had become part of his daily schedule. He’d start peering at the clock about eleven-thirty, just waiting until noon to see if she was going to show up.
A Day Late and a Bride Short Page 4